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I Machine for Tapering fi nrks. N0. 162,24L Patented April20,l875.

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Machine for Tap ering fiorks; No. 162,241, Patented April 20, 1875.

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Ziivrrnn STATES PATENT Grates.

ZENAS M. LANE, OFROCKLAND, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR TAPERING CORKS.-

Specification forming partof Letters Patent No. 162,241, dated April 20,1875; application file February 6, 1875. g a

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ZENAS llI. LANE, ofRockland, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvement in Machines for Tapering (lorks, of which thefollowing is a specification My invention relates to an improvement inmechanism for presenting corks automatically to a cork-tapering machineof ordinary construction. The corks are placed in a holder, preferablylike a hopper, from which they drop into a box or selector adapted toreverse and deliver a cork into a chute, down which the cork rolls,passing into aehamber through which moves a plunger that ejects the corkfrom the chamber into the cork-presenter, which carries the cork to theaction of the cork-tapering mechanism.

My invention consists in the combination, with a holder for corks, of abox or selector, for receiving, turning, or reversing, and delivering asingle cork into a chute; also, in the combination, with the holder forthe corks and its discharge-pipe, of a brush for agitating the corks inthe holder; also, in the combination, with a cork reversing anddelivering box, of an inclined cork-receiving chute; also, in thecomblnation, with the cork-receiving chute, box, and plunger, of acork-presenter adapted to present the cork to a tapering mechanism.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved mechanism. Fig.2 is a sideelevation thereof, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a section of theapparatus for reversing and delivering the corks to the chute, and takenon the line y 3 Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 is a section of the same on the line a2.

In the drawing, A is the base of the frame of the machine, having aforked standard, A on which is mounted a holder, A for the corks. Thisholder is made like a hopper, and the corks are sustained by and movedown the inelineso 0, and pass, one at a time, into the discharge-pipeD, and drop on the bottom s of the box (1*, that turns on its pivot (1and reverses a cork, :20, shown therein in Fig. 3, so that it may rollout of the box (1 into and down the chute h, and into another box, g.This cork-reverser is a box-like frame, d pivoted at d it has an arm, dconnected by link 6, with bell-crank lever 6 connected in turn, by aspring two-part link, 0 0 with the arm of the cork-presenter 0", havingat top a semicircular support, r, into which a cork is moved by aplunger when the cork-presenter is in the position shown in dotted linesin Fig. 2, and then it is moved outward through suitable connectionswith the cork-tapering mechanism, to the position shown in Fig. 2, infull lines, and in which position the knife operates as usual to taperthe cork. I have thought it unnecessary to illustrate the cork-taperingmechanism, as that is of usual construction, and in such machines thereis an arm or presenter, as represented by r 1, but the corks are placedin the support 0 by hand. My object is to do this automatically, and mymechanism is operated through links con nected with the cork-presentingarm, it being moved in any well-known way. The brush B is mounted onarms I), provided with bearings b, (one being shown.) On one of thesebearings I) is a toothed wheel, b engaged by a toothed segment, 0, on avibrating lever, G, pivoted to the bracket 0 on the frame. The lower endof the lever is slotted or otherwise connected with a collar, preferablyadjustable on the horizontall reciprocating rod 0 which is supported inbearings in the frame, and is connected with and moved by thecorkpresenter 'r, as it is moved. In this way the brush is vibrated soas to move the corks and keep them moving so that they may readily fallinto the pipe D. The axis 61 projects from a bracket, L, secured byscrews (1 (1 Between the two-part li 1k 6 e is a spring, 6 this allowsthe movement of the cork-presenter 1", even though a cork shouldimproperly impede the movement of the reversingbox (P. This box 01 isincased within a case, (I, attached to the frame, and the pipe Dprojects therefrom into the holder A The box (1 has a hinged side, 01provided with a projecting end and pin, a, and with a spring, 0, to keepthe side 61* pressed toward the cork or against a pin or screw, m, inthe case (I. When the box is in the position shown in Fig. 4, the hingedside d is kept from contact with the cork 00 by means of the screw m,but as the box is turned in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, toreverse the cork 00, the hinged side 01 under the action of the spring0, will close on the cork w, and prevent it from passing from the box 01until the latter is in the proper position. When the box is reversed,the pin m, on the hinged side 0?, strikes a plate at the top of thechute h. This action turns the hinged side away against the action ofthe spring, and opens the passage leading out from the box, so that thecork rolls therefrom out on and down the chute, and then the box d isagain turned up to receive another cork. When the box is moved toreverse a cork, a curved, projection, 00, on the box closes the bottomof the pipe D, and prevents the descent of a cork, until the box d isagain turned back to the position shown in Fig. The cork passes down thechute, and rests in the cylindrical box g, Fig. 1. A bracket, h,projecting from the frame A, sustains a plunger or shaft, f one end ofwhich extends into the box g. This shaft has a spring, j, that acts topress the plunger into the box and against the cork, to eject ittherefrom and into the presenter r, a plate, G, governing the outwardmovement of the cork. A link, f, connected at one end with thepresenter-arm r, is also connected with and moves a pivoted bent 1ever,fone end of which moves the plunger backward against the stress of thespring f, the arm acting against the stud f secured to the plunger. Asecond stud, f, on the plunger, when the latter is moved back, passesbeyond the end ot'a pivoted arm, 2', attached to the bracket h, and heldin the position shown in Fig. l by a spring. This keeps the plunger backout of the box. The arm of the leverj as the presenter is moving towardthe chute, strikes the lower end of pivoted arm 2', and moves its upperend away, so as to release the studf and then the springf throws theplunger forward. The outward movement of the presenter r is regulated bythe stop 8.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. The combination, with thechute h, of a box, d, for automatically receiving and delivering a corkto the chute, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the holder A for the corks,of a box, 61 forreceiving and delivering a single cork to a chute, h, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination of a chute and plunger, f, with cork-presentingmechanism 1" 1", substantially as described.

4. In combination, a holder, A for the corks, an agitator, B, a pipe, D,and a box, 61*, for receiving and delivering a cork to a chute, h,substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the box (1 and the pipe D, of the projectionac, to close the end of the pipe when the box is moved, substantially asdescribed.

6. The combination, with the box 61 of the hinged side, adapted to beopened and closed, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the box d of the links 0 6 e lever 0 and springa, substantially as described. I

8. The combination of the plunger f and its spring, with the leverf andpivoted arm, all adapted to operate the plunger, substantially asdescribed.

9. The combination, with box d for selecting a single cork, of a chute,h, a plunger, f to remove the cork from the chute h, and acork-presenter, r r, to receive the cork and present it to a taperingmechanism, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ZENAS M. LANE.

Witnesses:

G. W. GREGORY, S. B. KIDDER.

